Ask any working mother about multitasking, and she’ll tell you it’s the only way to get everything done. For most women, multitasking is just a normal part of every day.
But is multitasking healthy for us? A recent article in Health Magazine shows it’s certainly not as effective as we think and is potentially harmful to our health.
Here are a few of the reasons why you may want to slow down and concentrate on one task at a time.
It’s slowing you down
Doing two things at once doesn’t actually save time. For example, a 2008 University of Utah study showed that drivers took longer to reach their destinations when they chatted on cell phones.
Rather, doing things in batches tends to save more time. You are able to move quicker through a task when you are able to focus.
Making mistakes
As much as a 40% loss in productivity can result from multitasking. And the more critical thinking involved, the more errors are made.
Evidently, the human brain can handle two complicated tasks without much difficulty because the two lobes can divide the responsibility. But when a third task is introduced, the frontal cortex can become overwhelmed, increasing the amount of errors made.
Stressing you out
People who are multitasking have higher heart rates while doing so. Switching between tasks is stressful. Compound that with the guilt we feel when we make errors (caused by multitasking), and the stress can lead to “self-esteem issues and depression.”
Missing out on life
When you do two things at once, you are less observant even of obvious things right in front of you. For example, three quarters of a group of college students who were asked to walk across campus while talking on their cell phones somehow did not seem to notice a clown riding a unicycle nearby.
While the students were technically looking at their surroundings as they talked and walked, none of it was really registering in their brains.
Memory may suffer
Short term memory can be disrupted when one task is ignored to suddenly focus on another task. Certainly people in an older age bracket (60 to 80) had a tougher time remembering details about the first task than those in a younger age bracket (20 to 40).
As we get older, our brains have more difficulty re-focusing even after just a brief diversion.
Hurting your relationships
The most prevalent example of multitasking today is when two people are having a personal conversation, and one of them checks their phone messages.
Regardless of the relationship—mother/daughter, husband/wife, etc—this type of multitasking can lead to hurt feelings and huge arguments.
It can make you overeat
If you multitask while eating, chances are you won’t feel as full. This may cause you to continue eating or to eat again relatively soon.
Stop eating your lunch at your computer, and try to actually enjoy each bite. Even watching TV while you eat is multitasking and should be avoided.
It’s stifling your creativity
According to research from the University of Illinois at Chicago, “Too much focus can actually harm performance on creative problem-solving tasks.” Multitaskers can find it harder to daydream and to generate “a ha moments.”
It can be dangerous
Walking while using your phone can be dangerous because they are less likely to look before entering a crosswalk. For one study, 20% of teenagers who landed in the emergency room after being hit by a vehicle were using a smartphone when the accident happened.
So slow down and try not to multitask so often. The stress you will save may just help you live longer.
